Fuel-feeding device for internal-combustion engines



July 30, 1929.

5. A. GILLEN FUEL FEEDING DEVICE FOR INTERNAL'COMBUSTION ENGINES FiledOct. 7 1a, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR:

G.A.6ILLN BY 3 ATTORNEY I war, @MM/ July 30,1929. G. A. GILLEN 1,722,791

FUEL FEEDING DEViCE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES 2 Sheets-Sheet FiledOct. 18, 1926 Fi j , 'JNVENTOR: f 'G.A.6/LLEN BY 5/5 TTOR Patented July30, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,722,791 PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE A. GILLEN, OF NEW YORK, N. 'Y., ASSIGNOR TO EQUIPMENT & SUPPLYCOM- PANY, INC., .A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FUEL-FEEDING DEVICE FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application filed October 18, 1926. Serial No. 142,462.

This invention relates to fuel feeding devices for internal combustionengines and hasfor its object to provide a novel and improved meansattachable directly to the carburetor and operable by the vacuum createdin the intake manifold.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a fuel feeding devicefor internal combustion engines which may be attached directly to thecarburetor and below the same and which dispenses with cooperatingvalves, float and lever construction such as employed in the well knownStewart vacuum fuel feed system.

Another object of my invention is to construct a fuel feeding deviceemploying a bellows and piston arrangement constructed to cooperate andfunction by the vacuum created in the inlet manifold to feed the fueldirectly to the carburetor from a supply tank located at any position ona motor vehicle.

A further object of my invention is to provide a fuel feeding devicecapable of being connected to the carburetor of any of the well knowntypes employed in internal combustion engines andparticularly motorvehicles and in which the cooperating parts and elements are reduced toa minimum,

easily assembled and accessible, positive operation and free ofmechanical ditliculties incident to the use of different grades andquality of fuel.

An additional object of my invention is to construct a vacuum fuelfeeding device of the character above specified which may be connecteddirectly to the carburetor and operable through the suction created inthe intake manifold and in which the flow of fuel is regular and doesnot depend upon gravity or its location with respect to either thecarburetor or the fuel supply tank for its continuous operation.

To enable others skilled in the art to more fully comprehend theunderlying features of my invention, reference is had to theaccompanying drawing, where n Fig. 1 is a view showingthe application ofmy invention and its relation to the lntake manifold, supply tank andcarburetor. Fig.

2 is a top plan of the device. Fig. 3 s a vertical, sectional view takenon the line 3 -3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a view taken on the line 44 ofFig. 3. Fig. 5 is a vertical, sectional view of a modified form of theinvention as shown by Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a view taken on the line 6-6 ofFig. 5.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference charactersdesignate corresponding parts throughout the several views, on 5designates the intake manifold and 6 a conventional type of carburetorof an in ternal combustion engine to be supplied a ith fuel from a mainsupply tank 7 suitably located. 05 My invention proper comprises a head8 having an outer flange 9 and formed with an integral, threaded inletbushing 1.0, internally threaded at 11 for connection to a feed pipe orconduit 12 leading to the main supply tank 7. The head is alsovprovided'with an outlet bushing 13 also preferably integral therewithand internally threaded at l-l for attachment directly to the carburetor6 as clearly shown by Fig. 1 of the drawing.

. The inlet passage 15 of the inlet bushing communicates with a centralfuel chamber 16 extending through the head, the top of said chamberbeing sealed by a flanged closure or fitting 17 and gasket 18. Theclosure so or fitting 17 is provided with a thickened, vertical wall 19,exteriorly threaded at 20 for connection to the head, the depending,untlireaded and thin wall portion 21 being provided with notches oropenings 22 through which the fuel may flow to the central chamber 16.The lower portion of the closure is further adapted to seat and retain acup shaped strainer 23 on the flanged edge 24 of a feed cup 25 whichextends somewhat so below the central chamber 16 and bottom surface ofthe head. The bottom of the cup 25 is provided with a central opening orpassage 26, normally closed by a thin disk or plate 27 contacting withthe bottom and or, held in contacting position by a thin, leaf spring 28enclosed within an open guard 29. said guard having vertical arms 29"and held in an annular grove 30 on the periphery of the cup 25. Theguard 29 is equipped with an opening 31 in its bottom for the passage offuel from the central chamber 16 to a fuel reservoir or bellows 32,preferably of thin metal. The bottom 33 of the bellows is closed and thetop-plate 34 thereof is provided with a metal gasket-35 and fastened tothe bottom surface of the head by suitable. screws 36 passing through afiber; gasket 37. The central portion of the gasket 37 is par tially cutaway at 38 providing a passage no 39 to the bottom of a sleeve 40, saidsleeve having a valve 41 held in its closed position by a smallcompression. spring 42 on a threaded screw 43 extending within theoutlet bushing. The valve is unseated upon the contraction of thebellows permitting the fuel to flow into the outlet bushing directly tothe carburetor.

The operation of the bellows 32 is effected by means of a short piston44 connected to the closed bottom 33, said piston being inturn providedwith a piston head 45, equipped with a piston ring 46 and operable in asleeve or housing 47 threaded at its lower end 48 to a flanged nut 49 inthe bottom of a cup 50, the upper end of the cup 50 being threaded forconnection to the flanged portion of the head 8. The nut 49 provides aseat 51 for the lower end of acoinpression spring 52, the upper end ofthe spring bearing against the piston head 45. Tapped in the wall of thesleeve or housing which may be provided with a with the compressionspring threaded bushing 53 is a pipe or conduit 54 extending through thecup 50 and further connected to the pipe or conduit leading to theintake manifold.

As the suction from the manifold draws the piston and piston head downagainst the resistance of the spring'52, the bellows are expanded and atthe same time the plate or disk in the bottom of the feed cup is alsodrawn down sufliciently to permit the passage of fuel into the bellows.However, as the piston head closes the opening in the wall of the sleeveor housing 47 and the vacuum is broken, the spring '52 forces the pistonupwardly, thus contracting the bellows and feeds the fuel up past thespring controlled valve 41 and into the carburetor. In other words,valve 41 may be referred to as a one way valve since when the bellowsare being expanded by the suction from the manifold, the suction alsotends to keep the valve 4 1 seated while the fuel is being drawn inthrough the inlet and central chamber 16. As the pressure or suction isreleased, the disk or plate held by the spring at the bottom of thecentral chamber closes the opening in the bottom thereof so as toprevent the return of any fuel through the inlet as the bellows collapseor rcurn to their contracted position.

In a slightly modified form of the invention and as shown by Figs. 5 and6, I may dispense with the bellows and connected piston and form thesleeve or housing 55 with a top fuel chamber 56, the flange 57 of whichmay be secured to the bottom of the head and spaced by a gasket 58. Thepiston head 59 cooperating 60 when the vacuum is broken as the port oropening 61 is closed, forces the fuel up through the gate or outletvalve of the outlet bushing connected directly to the carburetor. Themechanism and construction of the head and central fuel chambercommunicating with the inlet bushing is the same as that shown anddescribed in connection with Fig. 3, the fuel feed depending primarilyon the action of the piston head since it is found that there issufficient suction created to draw the fuel within the top fuel chamber56, prevent its return through the central passage and intermittentlyfeed itthrough the valve or gate. In other respects, the construction ofthe head, inlet and outlet bushings and the central fuel chamber isidentical with that shown and described in connection with Fig. 3.

In both forms of the invention, it will be readily understood that thepiston head 45 or 59 is in the nature of a pump, in the one instanceexpanding and contracting the bel.- lows or fuel reservoir to force thefuel through the outlet valve and in the second instance acting directlyupon the fuel fed into the central reservoir.= The suction createdthrough the duct 54 leading to the manifold is always sufficient to drawthe piston head downwardly and when the vacuum is broken, the springforces the piston head upwardly to complete the cycle. In other words,an intermittent vacuum is produced in the sleeve 47 below the pistonhead and opening or port of the duct 54 which is broken each time thepiston head moves down to close the said port. This is effected againstthe resistance of the spring but when the vacuun'i-is broken, the springurges the piston head upwardly thus contratingthebellowsorfuelreservoir. Consequently, an intermittent, constantfeed is produced which is automatic and positive, drawing or sucking thefuel into the device and feeding or discharging it.

In so far as I am aware, commercially successful feeding devices of thisclass 'have depended upon the action of gravity to feed the fuel fromthe reservoir. It will be seen that I have made a departure from thispractice by feeding the ,fuel upwardly or against the force of gravity,thereby enabling me to attach the device to anytype of carburetor andtotally independent of the main supply tank or source of fluid pressure.The device will operate in practically any position and its locationwhether above or below the carburetor is immaterial.

\Vhile I have shown and described a specific type of valve for theoutlet leading directly to the carburetor, I do not wish to be'limitedor restricted to any particular type of valve construction except onethat is preferably acccssiblefrom the exterior of the head so thatshould any foreign matter pass the screen and accumulate to hinder theoperation of the one way valve, it may be easily cleaned. The same maybe said of the spring controlled plate 27 in the bottom passage of thecentral fuel chamber which should be of suchconstruction that thepassage is opened when the fuel is sucked into the fuel reservoir butclosed when the fuel is forced upward and through the outlet valve tothe carburetor.

This operation of course prevents the return broken thus contracting thebellows or fuel reservoir. However, the operation is under the controlat all times by the intermittent vacuum and suction created in theintake manifold or by any other pressure creating agency communicatingwith the device through a suitable duct or pipe in the mannerillustrated and described.

Having shown and described my invention what I now-desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States is 1. A fuel feeding device forinternal combustion engines comprising a head having a fuel chambertherein, an inlet communicating with the chamber, bellows connected tothe head and into which the fuel may flow by gravity through a passagein. the bottom thereof, a fuel outlet and control valve thereforcommunicating with the bellows, a piston and piston head connected tothe bottom, said bellows, a sleeve or housing for said piston head, acap connected to the bottom of the fuel chamber, a threaded nut in thebottom of said clip and fastened to saidsleeve, and a duct communicatingwith the interior of said sleeve for actuating the piston head andbellows whereby the fuel may be forced upwardly through the fuel outlet.

2. A fuel feeding device for internal combustion engines comprising ahead having a central fuel chamber therein, an inlet and an outletbushing for connecting said device to asource of fuel supply and acarburetor respectively, a fuel strainer within said chamber, a topclosure for said chamber adapted to retain said fuel strainer, anexpansible and contractible member secured to the bottom of the head'and'into which the fuel may flow from the central fuel chamber, saidoutlet communicating with the. said member, a piston and piston headconnected to the bottom of the member, a cup having a sleeve carried bysaid head, said piston head operable within the sleeve, a threaded nutin the bottom of the cup detachably connected to the sleeve, a ductcommunicating with the sleeve and leading to the intake manifold of theengine to expand'said member and means to contract the same member whenthe pressure in said duct is broken.

In testimony whereof I aflix m signature.

GEORGE A. ILLEN.

